Kewanee Oil Co. v. Bicron Corp.
416 U.S. 470 · Decided May 13, 1974 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Kewanee Oil Co. v. Bicron Corp. was decided on May 13, 1974 by a vote of 6–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Patents” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 416 U.S. 470 · 94 S. Ct. 1879 · 40 L. Ed. 2d 315 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 134
- Docket number
- 73-187
- Decided
- May 13, 1974
- Argued
- January 9, 1974
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Patents
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 35 U.S.C. § 101
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr..
Full case caption
Kewanee Oil Co. v. Bicron Corp. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-098, docket 1973-098-01.
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Cases on the same legal provision: 35 U.S.C. § 101
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Merrill Lynch v. Ware
- North Dakota State Board of Pharmacy v. Snyder's Drug Stores, Inc.Altered precedent
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- Sea-Land Services, Inc. v. Gaudet
- Federal Power Commission v. New England Power Co.
- Teleprompter Corp. v. Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc.
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error